Caught Me Off Guard
by JustAnotherWriterLikeYou
Summary: Ellie and Joel get closer as time goes by. I suck at summaries. This is a Ellie/Joel ship. Don't like, don't read. If you did come here by choice, enjoy. Also, I'm completely new to fanfiction, so tips and constructive criticism are welcome.I don't own TLoU or any of the characters. Or the main story. I will upload more chapters as fast people demand.
1. Chapter 1 - Meeting Joel

Ellie paced as she waited for Marlene to get back. It had been too long since she left. Ellie had heard gunfire from outside Marlene's locked apartment and was starting to worry about her possibly being amongst the dead Fireflies. She looked up at the clock for the hundreth time and let out a groan of frustration. She was getting bored and restless...

And she was feeling a little lonely. She wanted a friend to talk to. Someone to tell jokes to, and snuggle with... Someone she could love, and be genuinely loved back. She wanted a guy to love her. Stupid fucking hormones. She shook her head and looked back at the clock again.

_Where the fuck is she?_ Ellie thought to herself. _She said she would be right back! Is she alright? Did the military capture her? What if-!_

All of a sudden the door opened, with Marlene falling on the floor, a blood stain above her right hip and an old man helping her up. "Get the fuck away from her!" Ellie yelled as pushed down the button on her switchblade, ready to stab the unknown man in the throat when a lady's hand grabbed her wrist.

"Reqruitin' a little young aren't ya'?" The man said in a thick Texan, eyeing the teen.

Marlene winced in pain. "She's not one of mine."

_Great,_ Ellie thought. _Who are these people?_

"Wait a minute," The man said. "We're smuggl'n her?"

Wait... Marlene's not going to take me?

The lady named Tess spoke up. "I wanna see the weapons,"

"Of course," Marlene said. "We'll go to my camp, I can get patched up, and you can see the mechendise." She then looked at Ellie. "I want you to go with Joel and wait."

Joel and Ellies spoke at the same time.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I'm not sure that's-" Joel took a step toward Marlene from the other side of the room, but Ellie was already in front of her.

"Wait, I'm not going with him-!"

"Ellie!' Marlene looked at her.

Ellie looked at Tess and Joel. "How do you know these people?"

"I worked with his brother, Tommy. He said any time I needed him I could trust him."

Joel chuckled. "Was that before before of after he left your little group?"

Marlene looked insulted, saying, "He was a good man."

"Marlene, I-" Ellie began softly, but the woman cut her off.

"Not another word. Please. Do this for me."

"Jesus," he whispered, looking at Tess. She smiled and chuckled.

"She's just cargo, Joel."

He looked back at Ellie. He motioned her to follow him as he walked past her. "C'mon, then."

Before Ellie knew it, she was going with the man named 'Joel' to his hiding spot until his friend, 'Tess,' returned from verifying their weapons. They walked through the streets and ducked behind cover, hiding from passing military trucks. It was one thing for Joel to get caught after curfew. He would likely spend time outside the wall looking for supplies. Ellie on the other hand would either get a bullet in the back of her skull or the needle. She didn't know which was worse. She followed him up a flight of stairs and through the only door at the end of the hall that didn't have a military lock on it. Once they were inside Joel lay down on a couch and closed his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Ellie asked, obviously confused why he was just going to lay there doing nothing.

He answered simply, not opening his eyes. "Killin' time,"

She shrugged, putting her palms out, and looked at him, raising her eyebrows. "And what am I supposed to do?"

There was only a ghost of a smile on his face, but he never opened his eyes, or moved really. "I am sure you will figure that out."

She looked at the door and the back at him, studying him for a moment as he lay on the couch, his right forearm over his forehead and his left hand on his stomach. His hair was pretty clean, and his beard was kept at about 2 or 3 inches, only a little grey starting to appear here and there. _He looks okay. For an old guy..._ "Your watch is broken." She said as she walked past him to get to the window.

_Looks okay for an old guy?_ She repeated in her mind. _What the fuck am I saying?! He's waaaaaay too old! He doesn't look that good... does he?_ She felt her face heat up and did not want to turn around to look at him. Nope. Not at all. Not one bit. But her thoughts betrayed her. _He's not THAT bad, Ellie..._ "Shut up," she whispered to herself, looking at him over her shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2 - Confused

Hey, everyone, welcome your faces. So against what I thought this would be, people are actually checking this out and asking for more, so here ya go, guys. Now a quick update on what's gonna happen here: I'm going to try to keep the chapters' length to 1,000 words or more. I had trouble with the first few, but chapter 4 is around 6,000 words! So please bear with me. I only have up to chapter four written at the moment of this posting, but it shouldn't to me long to write more (each one usually takes me a day of two to write. I know, I have a lot of time on my hands write now *puns xD*, so I figured I'd do this. Anywho, enjoy.

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It had been a few days after the loss of Tess. Ellie felt guilty. She felt in some way responsible for Tess' death, and she didn't know how to fix it. But then again how could she fix it? Maybe she could try and cheer Joel up when he wasn't in his regular cranky mood. Maybe she would read him something from her joke book in another day or two. Or (try) to whistle behind his back.

But now they were looking for this guy named 'Bill.' Apparently Joel and Tess did business with him, although from what she's gathered, he was a frickin' psychopath. But her thoughts kept on going back to Joel...

_Maybe you can make it up to him sometime soon, somehow..._ She made a face.

_ And how so?_ She asked herself.

_We'll think of something..._

Ellie shook her head. Her mind was acting weird lately and whenever he got close to her the butterflies in her stomach seemed to come to life instantly. And she didn't know why! _He's just an old man!_ She argued with herself. _He's old enough to be your father! Your grandfather, maybe! Stop feeling like this, me!_

"Fuck," She mumbled.

"What was that?" Joel asked as he turned around.

She quickly looked up at him, putting some stray hair behind her ear. "Nothing," She didn't want him knowing what she was thinking. Tell the truth, she didn't want her knowing what she was thinking! She just wanted to forget about it. It didn't make sense to her. She decided to change the subject. "So where are we going again?"

He groaned, and she knew why. He had already told her once what they were going to do, she just hadn't been listening. "We're goin' to and old contact, a 'friend,' if you will. He's a little weird, but he owes me a favor, an' I'm hopin' he'll be able to get us a workin' car."

She nodded. "Got it." She was going to remember it this time! She didn't want to annoy him at all right now. She usually didn't try anyway. She just got bored and felt like finding something to do.

As they walked through an alley, she heard that familiar clicking sound. Shit. Joel had already drawn his weapon and aimed dawn the sights before the clicker was around the corner. and then, BOOM! An explosion from out of nowhere blew the clicker to pieces.

"The fuck was that?!" Ellie yelled.

"That," he looked at her. "Would be one of Bill's traps."

There was a shaky chuckle in her voice as she spoke. "Your friend a bit paranoid, maybe?"

"You could say that."

After avoiding a few more traps, they came across a bow on the truck. "Can I have it?" She asked, trying her best to look cute. "I'm a pretty good shot with that thing."

"How 'bout you let me handle these things?"

She frowned. _He didn't even look! Asshole._ "Come on. We could watch each others' backs."

"No." He said simply.

There was a clicker near them on a neighboring roof. He raised the bow. "Let's give this thang a try..."

She rolled her eyes. " 'Let's',"? She said, quite irritated. Then smiled. "No, no, I couldn't. You use it. In fact, how about you use all the fucking weapons we come across. I mean, what the hell would I need them for? I've got a knife, after all."

"Ellie,"

"Oh! And bricks. Let's not forget bricks."

"Ellie,"

"And I could use a bottle, but that's only if I run out of bricks, so-"

"Ellie!" He said quite loudly, getting the attention of the once sleeping clicker.

"Okay, geez. Sorry."

He took aim once again and let the arrow fly, hitting the clicker in the heart. It let out a gargling screech, slumped over, and died of blood loss within seconds. _Shit, that thing would be awesome to use! Too bad he's such an ass..._

After a few minutes of walking she decided to try to get him to give her a weapon she could actually use against infected.

"Joel?" She said again in her cutest voice, giving him puppy eyes.

He groaned and looked at her. "What?"

"When do I get my own gun?"

"Hmm," He said, acting like he was thoughtful for a moment. Of course she knew he was being sarcastic. "When I can learn to trust you with one."

"Ha, that's the excuse of the century."

"Smart girl. Now lets get movin'. It'll be dark soon."

She felt her face heat up by his compliment, even if he was just joking with her. Before she knew it, she thanked him. _He wasn't serious, Ellie!_

"Yer welcome." He said softly. She, in return, turned brighter red. Thankfully, his back was turned.

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Thank you guys again for reading, and as always, I will see you! In the next chapter! Bye bye! ^_^


	3. Chapter 3 - A Fuzzy Feeling

**Hai! So here's a new chapter for you guys to read (: I'll admit, I almost lost all my files on my stories 'cause I was dumb enough to think I could move them into the downloads file on my computer. Yeah. I didn't know what I was doing with this sight then and thought I had to move the files around to get them on here. Now I just copy 'n paste. Anyways, I'm changing my schedule on posting because the last two were uploaded around 3:00 am here :p Enjoy, and I will see you! In the next chapter!**

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_Where the fuck is he?_ Ellie thought as she paced by the elevator shaft, waiting for Joel to return. _He's been gone a long time. He could be in trouble! She looked left, then looked right. I'll give him one more minute... _

After waiting another two minutes, she walked started down the hall. _Fuck it. I'm probably going to get chewed out for this, but if he needs my help, at least I'll be there._

As she walked down the hall, she heard running footsteps. She ducked down and found cover behind a crate. A hunter ran past her and dis She waited a moment and then was about to move on until she heard something heavy fall into what was most likely water and then grunting. She decided to follow the noise. When she got to the cause of it, she saw the hunter holding Joel under the water, while Joel was trying with all his might to reach his gun that was just out of reach.

Before she knew it she had the gun in hand and trained on the hunter's head, and then pulled the trigger without hesitation. Joel brought his head above the surfaced, gasping, and looking at Ellie, obviously surprised at seeing her behind his gun.

"Whoa," She said wide eyed. "I shot the hell outta that guy, huh?"

Joel wiped his mouth and spat out some water. "Ya sure did."

Ellie sat on a nearby crate. She felt nauseous. "Ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick..."

Joel shook his head and took the gun from her. "I thought I told you to stay put."

"But you're glad I didn't, right?" She looked up at him, meeting his angry gaze.

"I'm glad I didn't get my head blown off by a god-damn kid!"

Now it was her turn to be angry. She didn't like being treated like a little kid. She could handle herself just fine! "You know what? No. How about a, 'hey, I know it wasn't easy, but it was either him or me.'" She calmed herself before she added, "You got anything like that for me?"

Joel looked away and let out a sigh. "Let's go."

"Lead the way."

As they made their way back up the ladder and down the hall, they past the elevator shaft. Now Ellie was smirking. _Yeah, I hope you see how close I still was to staying put. I was literally down the hall and around the fucking corner._

- A Few Hours Later -

It was late. Ellie had finally decided to go to sleep. She had been up a while talking with Sam. The kid was alright, but he was young. If she had to guess, he was about 11 or 12. Then her thoughts went to Joel, his scent demanding Ellie's attention once she entered his room. At first she was mad at him for yelling at her and lecturing her for saving his life, and was going to let him sleep all by himself, but then he gave her a chance not 20 minutes later, letting her cover him as they picked off hunters. She looked at him and smiled. He was out like a light. _You are an_ _ass sometimes,_ she thought as she lay down beside him. _But you're okay..._

She lay there on her back for some time, just her and her thoughts. _Admit it, Ellie. You like him. You just don't want to admit that you do because you're scared he'll leave you._ Ellie turned over on her right side, facing Joel. "You're probably right about that..." She mumbled. She smiled once more and took his hand in hers, careful not to wake him up as she intertwined their fingers. It gave her a fuzzy feeling. She felt light headed; like all the oxygen had been zapped out of the air.

Why was this happening to her? She didn't understand it. What she thought was supposed to be a quick drop off turned out to be one long cross-country trip to find the Fireflies. And it was starting to do weird things to her. Before this Ellie never worried about the way she looked when she paced by a mirror. Now, every time she saw herself, she felt as if she had to fix her hair, brush off her jeans, adjust her shirt; It was annoying! It's only Joel, She'd tell herself, before the other part of her told her otherwise. That he was different now. That he was somehow special. That she was special too. _You just gotta impress him, get his attention somehow. Who knows, he might even like you back. You're just going to have to wait it out, Ellie. He'll come around... Hopefully..._

"Goodnight, Joel," She whispered. And she fell asleep snuggled up closely to him.


	4. Chapter 4 Heightened Senses

**Ok, I have decided to say 'fuck it' to uploadin' by schedule and just upload after I see that every chapter is finished. I'm sure you people will enjoy reading these at your leisure, too. Thank you, doomstra27 for the reviews. Yeah, I had a lot o' fun with the whole weapons argument they had, and I figured it'd be good for her character to have mental arguments with herself as well. You will definitely see more of her sassy attitude, but also a sweet side as well.**

** Enjoy! ^_^**

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It was finally over. After all the running from that damn HMMWV, and shooting, and Joel and Henry almost being clicker chow, Ellie could just catch her breathe and walk in the beautiful morning sun. The birds sang their song in the warm late July sun, letting her know that it was relatively safe. She just wanted to be done with this. They had come across an old ice cream truck and she felt that pinch in her heart that she always felt when she wanted to know what the world would have been like twenty years ago. It didn't seem fair. _Joel got to live in the good ol' days, and I get stuck in this fucking piece of shit of a time!_ She kicked a brick, sqinting in pain as she did so, immediately regretting it. _Fuck! Great idea, dip-shit! It is a heavy, solid object!_

This was exactly the reason why Ellie was fighting to be part of the cure: Too be able to see the world the way it was. She wanted to taste things she'd never tasted, touch things that were out of reach, and see places she wouldn't be able to without special transportation. "I don't get it," She said jogging to catch up to Joel's side.

"Oh, yeah?" He asked, smiling down at her. "An' what might that be?"

Ellie smiled back. He had taken the bait and she was glad to see he was in his -rare- good mood. "People just lived out here where ever they wanted, did what ever they wanted for a job, and ate when ever they pleased? Plus they went where ever for a... what was it..." She pursed her lips for a moment, trying to remember what Winston had called it. "A vacation?" The old soldier had mentioned that he had gone to the Grand Canyon with his family 'back in the day' and had even showed her a picture of it.

"Yep," Joel said, clearly taken aback. "Although you did have to work at what you were qualified for, you could live in a nice home, snack on chips, ice cream, chocolate... And vacations all depended on how much money you made or what your job's employer could afford." He touched his watch out of habit. He did that a lot when he talked about the past. One day she'd ask him why he was shill wearing the broken thing. His voice pulled her from her thoughts. "I went to California once an' tried to surf, but I-"

"No fucking way!" She squealed.

Joel jumped at her high pitch. "Jesus, girl! What in the Sam hell are you so excited about?"

"I've been saving up for trip to California to surf since fucking forever! You're shitting me! No way!"

He shrugged. "It's true. I couldn't ride worth shit, neither. And one wave was so strong it pertnearly ripped my ankle from its socket."

"That is so fucking cool, Joel. You've gotta teach me how to surf if we get the chance!"

Joel let out a genuine laugh from deep down in his stomach. "Oh, ho, Ellie. First off, you gotta learn how to swim."

"Right." _And you're the perfect teacher. _

As the four made their way down the road and into a house, they heard growling and hissing coming from upstairs. Ellie and Joel both reached for their guns on instinct, making their way up the stairs. Sam and Henry covered the front door, but Ellie just figured that they were lazy, not wanting to get their hands a little bloody.

Ellie made her way to a dresser that was blocking the hall that led to the noise, making sure to keep her head low and her ears open. Joel was right behind her, and crouched over her. She froze. Her back was tucked into his chest and lower abdomen, his inner right leg pressed against her outer thigh. Ellie all of a sudden felt too how. The heat on her back made her shirt stick to her back from the sweat and his hot breathe made her red hair move in and out of her vision. To her right was his hand with his Taurus .44 revolver, ready to protect her from any threats. Her face burnt and her hands shook. It felt so secure and yet she was scared. Not of him or what was making that god-awful noise, but from the new feelings that made her heart flutter and filled her belly with butterflies and needles.

"I'm going to see what's over there," He whispered into her ear. The hair on her neck stood straight up and goosebumps covered her arms, although her long sleeves concealed them.

_Holy fucking shit, that was awesome!_ She nodded her head, still shaking. "o-ok,"

Moments later Joel came back from the room where the sound had originated from and shook his head, clearly annoyed.

"Well?" Ellie asked standing, knees still wobbly.

"Just a couple a' cats doin' their business in there." He walked past her, brushing shoulders as he did. "Let's go."

"Ok,"

Ellie was not going to sleep well tonight. Not with her stomach in knots like this. She actually hoped that that would happen again soon. As she followed Joel, they passed a bathroom and she got a peek in the mirror. Shit! My hair is out of place! And I'm as red as the evening sunset!_ Eep!_ She made quick to fix her hair, but she didn't know if it looked right. _I wish I didn't do that every single time! _

Little did she know that it would only get worse.


	5. Chapter 5 - Confessions

**I'm glad y'all are enjoyin' this, an' here's a new update for ya. This is the long chapter I was reffering to, but I had to readjust things, so it's about a thousand words shorter, but I don't think anyone will mind too terribly much. Alright, I'll see y'll in the next chapter, which I will be workin' on as we spea- er... read... yeah ;) **

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Ellie walked up to Joel after seeing the horses once again, and she saw Joel's brother Tommy and Tommy's wife, Maria, fighting. "What's that all about?" She asked.

"We'll talk about it later," he said, barely acknowledging her.

She made a face. "Is that about me?"

"We'll talk about it later." Now he seemed angry again.

Ellie didn't like this. If he was holding out on her about this, then it surely had to do with her. _He's getting Tommy to take me the rest of the way to the Fireflies! That's why he wants to talk about it later! He's shrugging you off on someone else! He's afraid off getting too attached!_ She felt betrayed! Like her didn't even care how she felt! Once she walked around the corner and out of Joel's sight she ran as fast as she could, tears welling in her eyes and rolling down her pale cheeks. _He doesn't want me anymore! I told you!_ The negative part of her mind said as she ran towards the stables.

_No! He's afraid of growing attached to you, Ellie! He doesn't want to go through the pain of losing you! _

She wiped her tears on her sleeve before she entered the stables and put on her best smile, hoping to mask the pain inside, at least until she could get to the gate and outside. She acted sweet, and played innocent when she spoke with the stable master. She got him to saddle up a horse and let her out with ease. Once she was to the gate, she opened it, against the guards orders, and rode her horse as fast as she could. Some hunters tried to stop her, but they just weren't they brightest of individuals, and their aim was probably amongst the worst she'd ever seen.

Ellie pulled the reins and slowed the horse to a trot once she came across a ranch. It looked like it was still in perfect condition; untouched by the infected world. Once she entered, she was amazed to find it still completely intact. It was pretty clean, all the windows were still in place, and the roof looked like it was still keeping the rain out. Ellie walked up stairs, went down the hall, and went in what seemed to be a girls room. No sooner had she closed the doors than the tears started to fall. She leant her back against the door and slid door it, burying her face in her hands, the sobs becoming uncontrollable and her breathing rapid and irregular, barely able to take in more air before the next sob escaped her mouth.

"Oh, Joel," She cried, her eyes starting to sting. "W-why? Why d-did you h-ave to do th-this to u-us? To me? It hurts! I lo-ve you!"

Ellie brought her knees to her chest and put her forehead to her knees, calming her breathing, but the tears still fell slowly. "Joel..."

And then she starting sobbing again.

- Half Hour Later -

Ellie heard horses approaching and quickly wiped her face and blew her nose, not wanting Joel to know that she had been crying. She sat down by a window and grabbed a diary that lay close to her. She flipped it open to a random spot and read where ever her eyes landed.

"Ellie?" She heard Joel say from downstairs. "Ellie!" He yelled louder.

"I'm up here!" She really didn't want to see him right now. He wan't being understanding of her feelings. Didn't he see how much it hurt her? She decided to stop herself before she starting crying again... but she was going to tell him how she felt if he started bull-shitting her.

He entered the room and she played it cool, looking at him, saying, "Is this all they had to worry about back then? Boys? Movies?" She looked back down at the diary. "Which shirt went with which skirt? Pretty bizarre."

Joel sighed and motioned for her to come to his side. "C'mon. We're leavin'."

She looked up and met his gaze, closing the diary. "And if I say no?"

"Do you have any idea what your life means? Puttin' yourself at risk? It's pretty god-damn stupid!"

"Maybe I don't care about that anymore!" She said standing up, starting to feel angry and broken all at once.

He looked around the room and put his palms out by his sides. "What do you want from me?"

"Admit you wanted to get rid of me the whole time!"

Joel looked away. "Tommy knows this area better tha-"

She took a step toward him. "Will you stop with the bull-shitting?! Just tell me that you never cared about me and wanted to get rid of me the whole time!"

"Well, I'm sorry, but I trust him more than I trust myself!"

_Lies and excuses. It's what he's good at, Ellie,_ She told herself. _He's just trying to shut you up again. _"Oh, fuck that. What are you so afraid of? That I'm going to end up like Sam? I can't get infected!"

"We are not talking about this," He said, turning to leave.

"I'm not her, you know." It was risky bringing up his daughter, but she wanted him to know that she didn't see herself as that.

"What the hell are you talkin' 'bout?" He turned around and looked her right in the eye.

"Maria told me about Sarah and I-"

"Ellie!" He spoke up, then quieted, his voice sounding broken. "You are treadin' on some mighty thin ice here."

Ellie took another slow step towards him. "I'm sorry about your daughter Joel, but I have lost people too."

"You have no idea what loss is!" He spat. She was ready to cry. He was going through so much pain and guilt of his own that he couldn't see hers.

"Everyone I've ever cared about has either died or left me! Everyone," She pushed him as hard as she could. "Fucking 'cept for you!" Now Ellie started crying. "So don't tell me I'd be better off with someone else because the truth is I would only be more scared."

She was so close. Her lips were mere inches away from his. She'd risk him leaving her for her small declaration of feelings.

"I love you, Joel." She said with a shaky voice, looking at him through tear-stained eyes. "Why can't you see that? Not only am I not your daughter, but I don't want to be!"

"Jesus Christ..." He took a step back. "Ellie," He said softly. "You ain't thinkin' straight here. You're just scared of me leavin' an' are tryin' to find a way to make me stick arou-"

"That's not it!" She stomped her foot. "I've fucking loved you since the beginning! Ever since I saw you, I've had these weird feelings slowly crawling into my heart!" Now she started sobbing, saying things quickly without taking a breathe. "It caught me off guard that first night at your hideout and,and,and then after Tess died an-and then the way you always protected me when we entered the hunters' Q-Z, and-"

"Ellie!" He said in a soft but concerned manner. "Take a breathe for god's sake. You're gonna pass out if you keep that up!"

She gasped. She hadn't noticed that she wasn't breathing in. She wanted to voice how much she cared about him that she had completely forgotten to breathe. Ellie let out a quiet, "ok..."

Joel took her by the shoulders, much like the way he had done Sarah just after she had seen him shoot their neighbor. "I understand. I do. We've been together so long and kept each other safe, watched each other's backs an' kept each other warm, but this ain't right," He looked down between the two of them, then met her soft, streaming eyes with his dark ones. "Us. Back in my day, thi-"

"Admit that you don't feel the same and I will go with Tommy."

Joel's composer finally broke and his voice was shaky. "I... I can't do that, baby-girl..." Tears formed in the corners of his eyes, the pain evident. "I'm too scared of losin' you, but I'm even more scared of seein' you torn apart by one of those things out there... I... I..."

Ellie was shocked. She had never seen this man cry before, much less be this short of words. Inthe past, if he couldn't talk about something, he'd shut down; switch off the emotion and hide the darkness deep inside. Now he seemed genuinely at a loss. His soft cries barely escaped his quivering lips. "Joel," She wrapped her arms around him, her hand reaching up to find the back of his shoulders, and her cheek resting on his chest. "I'm sooo sorry about all you've lost. I've lost so many also, lost so much. I've lost the entire Q-Z because of my infection. I feel like I have nowhere I belong anymore..." She looked up at him and smiled. "Except with you."

He took a sharp breathe, composing himself as he placed his hands carefully around her. He still treated her as is she would break under his touch; Like she was fragile. She liked it but she hated it. It showed how much he cared but also showed how scared he was.

"Hold me tighter," She whispered. "I promise I won't shatter." He did as she asked. He was so warm. She was sure he had damp patches on his shirt from her tears that had soaked in it, but he didn't mind.

"I got'chu, sweetheart. I ain't gon' let you go..."

"Joel?" She said, easing her face from his. He looked at her in return, asking her with his eyes. She inhaled deeply and continued. "Will... Will you... kiss me...?"

He gave the slightest of nods and pressed his forehead to hers, watching her chest rise and fall faster, then he met her eyes. She searched his. He had the same need in his eyes that she knew he could read in her own. He bought his lips just millimeters from hers, letting her make the last move. He was going to let her go at her own speed. All she would have to do is tilt up only the slightest, and they'd change things between them forever.

And she did. It was like lightning struck her, but in a good way, she figured. His chapped and course lips felt right on her small, full ones. She tilted her head and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body into his. She was as close as she could be to him and yet she didn't feel close enough! _Fuck! This is actually happening, Ellie!_ She let out a small squeal of delight and tried to pull him closer, moaning into his mouth. Joel was no different.

He had had his arms wrapped firmly around her waste and once she had put her arms around his neck, no sooner had he pulled her hips into his. He groaned upon feeling their intimate contact. She felt so right! Her tiny frame fit perfectly into his! He had never wanted anything so badly aside from having Sarah back. But he knew now that he had to let her go. He just needed the time to grieve. But right now was the time to be there for Ellie and himself. It'd been so long since they'd come up for air. Sure, they stole little of oxygen when they pulled away for just a second, only to meet each others' moist lips again, but it didn't suffice for very long.

He pulled back and they both gasped for air. Ellie's lungs stung. She panted from the intensity of it all. It felt as if she were in shock, yet completely in control. "Holy shit!" She whispered, out of breathe. "That-*pant*- was- *gasp* -Awesome!"

Joel smiled. "Ellie, I lo-"

Tommy barged in and hid around to corner, rifle in hand. "There's bandits inside! Better sort this out later!"

Joel grabbed his 9mm pistol and jogged to the window. "There's two coming in."

"There's more inside! I counted around four. Possibly five."

"Right. Tommy, you go to the stairs and watch them from around the corner so you can see their back if they try to come up."

Tommy nodded. "Right."

"Ellie," He looked at the girl he loved so much, who was clearly none too happy that they had been interrupted. "You stay close to me, ya' here?"

Ellie pulled out her Beretta. "Yeah. Got it."

"Here," He handed her his shotgun pistol, which he had added a side folding stock to for her. "This should be more your size than my 12 gauge."

She smiled. "Thanks, Joel." She holstered her pistol and pulled out the stock, tucking it into her shoulder and looked down the bead sights. It fit her perfectly. Joel then handed her a few 4 round magazines for it.

They kept their heads low, listening intently, hearing the men's footsteps. One went to the kitchen, another to the bathroom, and two others walked past the stair case. Ellie pulled out her knife while Joel crept beside her. He grabbed the one on the right while Ellie jump on the other one, who seemed to be in his early twenties, stabbing him in the neck, throat, and then heart. But he wouldn't go down!

_C'mon, you motherfucker! Die already!_ She stabbed him a few more times before he turned and jammed her into a picture on the was behind them, breaking the glass. _Agh, fuck! _

"They're *gurgle*-*cough* over- Augh! Here!" The bandit screamed as he spat out blood. He he took a step forward and then smashed her in between him and the wall again, her grip loosening and her head feeling dizzy. Then Joel grabbed him by the back of the neck with one hand and caved in his bleeding throat with the other. Ellie jumped off and watched as he slumped to the ground, holding his neck as he suffocated.

"Motherfucker," She spat, making sure to stay quiet. Then she wiped her nose, blood slowly trickling out. She looked at Joel who nodded to her bloody hand. "I'm fine," She said wiping her nose again. "He just wouldn't give up." Her cheek also hurt like hell and she entire back stung and ached. "Fuck, he hit hard for someone bleeding to death."

Joel nodded and the man from the kitchen ran to to where he had heard the yelling, only to find his dead friends. "Oh, shit! You're gonna pay for thi-!"

*BAM!* *BOOM!* Ellie fired her shotgun just a second before Joel pulled the trigger on his, sending the bandit into the wall across the room, his blood and guts hanging out for his chest and stomach regions.

"Alright," Ellie said, relieved to be done with them. "I think that's all of the-"

"The hell is going on out here?!" The last bandit yelled coming out of the bathroom from behind Ellie. "Aw, SHIT!" He grabbed Ellie, wrapping his arm tightly around her neck. She engaged the blade on her knife and tried to stab him in the eye, but he grabbed her hand and crunched her fingers together, causing her to yelp in pain and let go of her knife. Then the bandit had it pressed tightly against her neck.

"Easy, son," Joel said pointing his 9mm at the hunter.

"Fuck you, old man! You fucking killed my friends! And now if you don't side over your weapons, I'm gonna fucking kill this little bitch!"

Joel weighed his options. Tommy wouldn't be able to help with this. The stairs were directly behind Joel, and the bandit would kill Ellie as soon as he saw him. The only thing he could do was comply, or take a risky shot; One he'd done many times to save Tess. He looked at Ellie and she knew what he was going to do. She looked scared but had a small smile play across her lips, and winked at Joel.

Joel kept the gun trained on the hunter, but his face read defeat. "Alright, son, you win.." *BANG* The bandit dropped dead in an instant.

Ellie's knife just brushed her throat as he fell, blood and brain matter exploded on the right side of her face and the back of her head. "Aw, fuck, Joel!" She gasped as she fell to her knees, scooping up her knife by her side. "Gross!"

"Sorry," He helped Ellie up and held her tightly to his chest, in which she buried her face. "Alright, Tommy! You can come down now!"

"Jesus, Joel," He heard Tommy say from behind him.

"I know, Tommy. But I had no other choice."

His little brother nodded. "I know too. It's just so gruesome."

"And disgusting," Ellie added, wiping the blood from her face. Although it felt to her like it was just smearing. Which she wasn't completely wrong about. Her nose was still bleeding, the blood and brains were still in her hair, becoming crumbly as it dried, and she felt like she had swam in pig guts. She was ready to throw up. "Ugh, like back in Vietnam, huh?"

Both the men laughed. Joel said, "Do you even know what that was?"

She shrugged. "Another war from back in the day that America won?"

Joel smiled. "Something like that." He then looked at his little brother. "You won't be takin' Ellie to the Fireflies, Tommy." He said as they mounted their horses.

"What in the Sam hell do you mean?"

"Ellie, get on up here, girl,"

"Joel," Tommy said, confused.

"I mean, Tommy," Joel explained. "I'll be takin' her."

He looked surprised. "You sure? I thought you said-"

"I know what I said, but you have more to lose than I if you left. You have a wife, and a town to watch out for. I'd only lose my gear if I died on this trip."

Ellie felt a twinge of pain in her heart. The thought of Joel dying was unbearable.

"Alright," Tommy said turning his horse to his town, after he explained where the Fireflies should be. "You should at least come back to rest up an' get some supplies."

"Y'know? I might take you up on that offer. Rest up and head out before the sun rises tomorrow. Whatta ya' say, Ellie?"

"Fuck, yeah," She said as she rested her head on his back. "I need a shower badly," She whined.

"Alright then," Tommy said, leading them back. "Then it's settled."

As they rode back, Ellie thought about her future with Joel; where it could lead. She loved that man more than life itself and wanted to spend the rest of it with him by her side. But how long would he last? He was much older than she was, and that could create some hardships ahead of them, especially for Joel. But she decided they'd take it one day at a time. Focus on the now and maybe as far as next week.

- After Dinner At Tommy's -

Once they got to the town and Tommy gave them their own place to sleep for the night, Ellie made a beeline for the shower.

"Ellie," Joel called before she got all the way up the stairs. She kept her hand on the railing and looked at him from under her arm, head up-side-down. Her hair, dirty and bloody as it was, swayed beautifully as it hung freely. Joel could only see her back and her eyes peeking from under her arm. It was adorable.

"Yes?"

He smiled at her and let out a chuckle. "Tommy said that the hot water only lasts about twen'y to thirty minutes, so try an' make it quick."

Ellie smiled devilishly, and he could see that in her eyes. "Why don't you join me?" She giggled. "Then we'll both be able to take a longer shower with hot water. And we'll be able scrub each others back..."

He looked back at the door and then looked down at the floor, pondering her reasoning. Of course he knew what she was asking him, but he wasn't so sure it was a good idea. "Not this time, baby-girl. I'm just..." He looked at her and she nodded.

"We'll take it slow then, Joel." She promised. "In the mean time, I'll try to save you some hot water." She joked.

"Cute," He chuckled.

Ellie bounded up the rest of the stairs and left the bathroom door open just a crack. _If he changes his mind, he won't have to knock._ She looked at herself in the mirror and was horrified at what she saw. A stream of dried blood had ran from her nose, down her face, continued down her neck, and halfway down her shirt. _Those are going to be hard to get out,_ she thought, referring to the blood stained stream on her T. The blood and left over brains had dried completely in her hair. She cringed at the sight of it. Ellie then turned on the water, stripped down, and looked back in the mirror. The sight wasn't much better without clothing. Dirt, blood and bruises covered her pale, slender body. She couldn't wait any longer. She jumped in the shower, the hot water stung her shoulders, and her ass ached, definitely bruised from her fight with the bandit.

"Fuck!" She shrieked in pain, turning down the steaming hot water. It hurt a lot. She found the right temperature and groaned in relief to wash of all that shit that clung to her hair like an unwanted baby chick. Thankfully, with a little soap (and continuous scrubbing), she felt clean again. She had even managed to save Joel some hot water. Throwing on her grey shorts and blue tank top, she walked out of the bathroom and to her room, where she found Joel near the window, looking out the window, deep in thought.

"Hey, Joel," She said throwing her dirty clothes in a basket nearby. "Shower's open."

"Alright," He looked back at her and smiled. She hoped that she looked okay. Her hair was still down and damp, but at least it wasn't all over the place. "Ellie," He said with deep concern.

Ellie jumped. "Yeah? What? Is there something wrong?"

"Ellie," He repeated, pain evident on his face. "Sit on the bed an' turn around."

She did as she was told. He sat behind her and felt his hands lifting her shirt as high as he could under her arms.. "Joel...?"

"Just trust me, Ellie," He said reassuringly. "Lift up your arms, sweetheart."

She did. Once he got her shirt all the way off her body, he handed her it, showing her the huge bloodstain on the upper shoulder region that had been draining its way down.

"Oh, Christ!" He whispered. "Ellie, you've got glass shards all over in your shoulder blades! What in hell happened?"

_Fuck. That's why it stings._ "My fight with the bandit..." She started, her mind reeling back to her fight earlier. "I was on his back, stabbing him with my knife, and... he tried to get me off, ramming me into a picture behind me."

"Jesus. You've got glass all over in your skin." He leant over she she could see him as she looked over her shoulder. "I gotta clean this out."

"Ok,"

"Ellie," Joel said, looking at the black fabric strap going across her back that had holes and rips in from her encounter earlier. "I'm gonna have to unclip your bra back here if I'm gonna get these things out. Do you trust me?"

She nodded. She knew there was nothing sexual about this. He knew she was in pain and she knew it pained him just to see her this way.

"This is gonna hurt like hell, so if you have to, cry an' scream all you need to, alright?"

Ellie nodded again. She didn't like the idea of have little pieces of glass being pulled out of her back, but leaving them there would only make things ten times worse. Joel started by getting the 'bigger' ones, which were probably no larger then his thumb nail. Although it hurt, and tears streamed down her eyes for a second time in one day, she could feel how gentle and caring he was being with her. Every ten seconds he'd pat down her back with an ice cold rag and carefully pull another shard out, and then he'd repeat the process. All in all, it took about an hour and a half, but all the shards were now out, the wounds were cleaned, and she was being patched up.

"There ya are," He said, handing her her black tank top, which was loser than any of her other clothes. "Now we're gonna have to stay another day so the wound at least has time to scab." He washed his hands and smiled at the young girl who was smiling back at her with gratitude. "In the mean time," He continued. "Not tight clothing, no strenuous work, an' no shootin'. Understand? I don't wanna have to be patchin' you up again."

"Yes, sir, Joel." Ellie saluted, standing up as tall as she could, and stuck out her chest. But then immediately regretted it, seeing as how it made her back sting in pain again. "Ah!" She whined. "Fuck, that hurts!"

"Sorry, Ellie," Joel said, wrapping his arms around her lower waist, obviously not wanted to cause any more pain than she was already in. She sighed deeply, happily even, to be in his warm embrace. They lay down on her bed and snuggled closely together.

"I love you, Joel," She whispered once she thought he had fallen asleep. He in return held held closer, whispering back to her, surprising her back making her smile and her heart leapt for joy.

"I love you too, Ellie."


	6. Chapter 6 - Don't You Dare Leave ME

**Hey, y'all. New chapter for all you happy faces. I'll try to have a new chapter tomorrow mornin'.**

** doomstra27 - Yeah, I have a bit of time on my hands. Not much to do out here in the cold fall weather of the beautiful open country of Wisconsin. **

**AspectOfCourage - Please tell me how I should fix Ellie's character. The last thing I want is to present either her or Joel incorrectly. Thanks.**

**As always, enjoy and review! :D**

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"There's the university," Joel said, looking over his shoulder to the young red headed girl behind him. She nodded and rested her cheek on the back of his shoulder. It felt good to be right behind him. It was a cold and windy fall day, but his body heat was comforting, and knowing that he loved her made her feel even warmer.

He had spent the last hour explaining this weird sport that people used to pay to see called football. It seemed complicated. And why would you watch a bunch of guys run around a field throwing and chasing a stupid pointed oval anyway? Why couldn't girls play in the... NFL, was it? Was it just for guys to be able to drink beer? That's what Winston said he did back in the day. He'd just go over to his neighbor's house just to get a few free drinks and snacks. She had to admit, the old bastard was smart.

"So did you go to any games back then?" She asked, straining her neck to try to rest her chin on his right shoulder. _Why did I have to be so short? I know Joel said it was attractive, but this sucks!_

He shook his head. "Nah, I was pretty busy with work an' raisin' Sarah. I barely had time to catch the Thanksgivin' game."

"Oh," She pursed her lips, deep in thought. He was becoming more trusting of her, mentioning a little more about his good memories he had of the past. Then he laughed. "What?" She smiled, happy to hear it.

"Oh, I was just rememberin' back on one Thanksgivin', back when Sarah... she, ah... She tried to make a Thanksgivin' dinner while I was still at work." He shoulders shook with more laughter following. "She had managed to burn the damn turky, the inside was still frozen because she had put it in that way an' turned it up on triple the heat, an' her stuffin' was just a bunch of bread that she had torn up an' thrown inside of that poor bird. She put a bag of frozen cranberries in the blender, a little gadget that ground up food an' such, but forgot to put the lid on it, and just when I walked in, she was screamin', berries and juice flyin' all over the ceiling and floor."

Ellie joined in the laughter, happy to see him actually joyful. It was strange seeing him like that, but it was refreshing. "What happened? Did she get in any trouble?" _Probably got latrine duty for a month!_

"Sure," He shrugged. "She got all electronics taken away for two weeks. No phone, computer, but not too much trouble. She was only ten or so."

"Holy shit! Only two weeks? You guys sure did live in a laid back time, Joel!" She couldn't believe it. People wasted that much food and practically got away with it then!_ If I did that, I might end up cleaning and looking for supplies outside the wall! _

"Well, back then, a phone mattered a lot to a girl around your age. Facebook, textin'; yeah. She was angry for that duration of time."

"Geez, Joel. You know what would happen these days if that happened! I mean, it's not like supplies are just falling off the ceiling."

"Fallin' from the sky," He corrected.

"That too."

After a few minutes went by, Joel got off the horse and headed for a garage. "You stay with Callus," He said, looking back at her. "What kind of name is 'Callus' anyway?"

She shrugged. "It's not my fault you forgot to ask Tommy his name."

" 'Callus.' " He mumbled to himself. He found some supplies and came back out, a small smile on his face.

"What, Joel?"

"Oh, just found some parts and a craftin' table."

Ellie rolled her eyes. Boys and their toys. "Oh, great. What'd you break this time?" She teased. The last time he tried to 'upgrade' something, he ended up breaking his hunting rifle, and was barely about to fix it with the few spare parts he had left.

"I di'n't break nothin', you wise ass. Now scootch."

"We really need a double saddle, Joel. My ass hurts like hell!"

"I know, but until we find one, you'll either have to ride back there, or walk."

"Can we pleeeease walk, Joel?" She whined. "It'd be soooo romantic."

"Tssh, 'romantic.' " Joel looked around. It was clear, and the sunset did look really nice as it set. "Alright, Ellie. We can walk for a bit." He slipped off of the saddle and placed his hands on her hips, helping her down and she rested her hands on his shoulders as she slid off.

"Fuck, yeah," She said softly. It felt great to be off and on the ground again, but she still didn't like the view. "I'm too short," She pouted.

"You're jus' fine, sweetheart. It adds to your cuteness."

"Yeah, well, I'd still like to be a few inches taller. I've only grown a quarter inch in the last year. I think I'm done getting taller."

"Well, I won't be complainin'." He pulled her close and wrapped his large arms around her. She admired his muscle mass, his wide shoulders; It all made him Joel.

They walked their way to the science building, his arm around her, hand resting on her hip, thumb making little warm circles. Her arm could barely make it around his frame. The combination of short arms and his wide frame made her furrow her brow. Then they heard it.

"Infected," She grumbled.

"You stay here with the horse."

"Are you sure?" She grabbed his hand.

He nodded and grabbed his revolver, his go-to weapon when it came to infected. The 9mm was used against for hunters and bandits.

"Joel," she said, leaning in to kiss him. He brought his lips to hers and then closed the gate. 'Be careful."

"Yes, ma'am," He smiled.

And she did as she was told. "What do you think, Callus?" She asked the horse, rubbing his snout. He let out snort and she smiled. "Yeah, my cowboy will be right back. There's no need to worry."

A few screeches and pained moans disturbed her thought and her head shot up, looking in the direction of the sounds. After a few moments, she saw Joel walk down the stairs, putting away his bow. She sighed in relief. _That's a good sign. If his bow is out, it means they didn't know he was there, and he got out clean. _

"Hey," She said after she had opened the gate and mounted Callus. "I was thinking, I would've wanted to be an astronaut."

"Is that a fact?" He smiled.

"Yeah. Can you imagine being up there all by yourself? Would've been cool... just saying."

"Scoot," He ordered. She did.

"What about you? What did you wanna be?"

"Well, when I was little, I wanted to be..." HE paused, and she scooted closer, wrapping her arms around his stomach. "A singer."

"No way,"

"I'm serious," He said softly.

"Sing something!" Ellie said cheerfully.

"I don't think so..."

"Come on, I promise won't laugh."

"Eh, no."

"Joel," She said, using the cutest voice she had. "Pleeeeeease?" But he remained silent. _I'll get him to sing for me someday._ She laughed at the way it sounded. Her mind wondered to him singing on a front porch, guitar in on his lap, and her looking up at him, on her knees on the ground. Then he took her inside and to her room, where he-.

"Yeah?" He said, as if he asked her a question.

"Um..." Her face heated up. "Could you repeat that, please?" He laughed, making her face turn more red than it already was.

"I asked where you'd want to live if you could go anywhere."

"Oh, I, uh..." She stuttered. The image of them having their own place was flashing through her head, and there room was huge. The bed was a good size as well...

"Well?" He asked again.

"I, uh... I'd like to live out in the country somewhere near a town, but a couple miles from it. A nice two story house would be nice. A porch and a swing would be a nice touch as well."

"Looks like we both have the same idea." She stiffled a giggle._ Are you sure you've got the same ideas? _

They found a way in and he helped her up through the whole in the science lab wall. Joel found yet another crafting bench, after he had found some new tools to fix things up. He gave the excuse that it made his weapons 'better', but Ellie just thought he liked playing around with his toys. Then they got jumpscared by something that actually hid. Later on they found out what it really was.

"Well," Ellie started, disappointed upon finding not a single Firefly. "Maybe in all that research they turned into fucking monkeys."

"We'll find something, kiddo," He took her hand in his and they found a Firefly locked in a room. Granted he was dead, but he was a Firefly. That counted for something, right?

The late Firefly had left a recorder with his last thoughts and where to find the rest of the Fireflies.

Then a light caught their attention. "Fireflies?" She asked.

Joel grabbed her arm in a hurry. "Get down!" He said, pulling her down with him.

The shot just missed her. "Who the fuck are these guys?!" She said.

"I don't know, but we are gettin' out of here!"

Ellie followed Joel in the next room and two men barged in, one with a hatchet, the other with a a 2x4. Joel blasted them both away with his shotgun.

"Holy shit, Joel!" She exclaimed.

"Just keep movin'."

They made there way down a flight of stairs and through some more hunters, but they were taken care of with ease, moving to the balcony and coming to a door. The moment Joel put his hand on the handle, a hunter burst through and had his back again the guardrail, the hunter's hands in a choke hold. Joel fought to get the hunter off, but he just got pushed back into the railing and it broke, both falling over the edge and down into a garbage dump. The hunter landed head first into a pile of huge glass shards, and Joel was impaled in the belly just right of his belly button. He groaned in pain and shock almost immediately followed. Ellie slid down some yellow power cables and took her place by Joel's side.

"Oh, shit! What do you want me to do?"

"Move," He groaned again.

"What?"

"Move!" He pushed her out of the way and shot two more hunters as they busted through the double doors.

"Now," He said, head falling back on the cold ground, revolver on his chest. "I'm gonna need you to pull."

"Ok... ready?"

"Pull!" And she did. He screamed in pain and the blood poured from his wounds.

"C'mon, Joel," She took his hand in hers and pulled him down the hall. After flanking yet another asshole with a gun, the two of them were almost to the front door when Joel's knees gave out.

"Here, lean on me," Ellie offered him her shoulder.

"No," Joel said, lifting himself up. _Him and his fucking pride! Even in pain he can't take a little bit of help!_

"Well can you walk?"

"Yes."

"Then fucking walk!"

Just another twenty feet... Ellie thought as she looked back at the man she worried so much for right now.

"Behind you..." He moaned.

"Wha-?" She turned around and sure enough, there were two more! _When the hell will they run out of men?!_ Luckily, they were only armed with melee weapons. She drew her Beretta and killed the first. *click* _Out of bullets now?!_

"Oh, shit!" She shoved the fresh magazine inside and racked the slide forward, but didn't get off another shot before she was hit in the head and knocked over with a pipe. *BANG! BANG! BANG!*

She quickly got back up on her feet regardless of the newly acquired headache, and helped Joel up, putting his arm around her and leading him to the exit.

"If I get you out of this, you are so singing for me!" She earned a pained laugh from him.

"You wish."

- A Few Miles Away -

Ellie looked over her shoulder and sighed. "I think we're safe."

Joel started losing breath. "Joel?" She asked, concerned. He started to tip over and fell of the horse. "Shit!" She jumped of after him and knelt by his side, pulling him by his shoulders. "Joel?! C'mon, get up! Get up, get up, get up! C'mon, Joel, you gotta tell me what to do! Joel?!" Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes, but she held them back. She wasn't going to give up. She had to be strong! "C'mon, Joel! Don't you fucking leave me! Don't you dare fucking leave me! I need you!"

"E-Ellie," He said as he shivered. _He going into a a deeper state of shock, Ellie! Keep him talking!_

"Yeah, I'm here! C'mon, talk to me!"

"Ellie..."

"Yes, Joel, I'm here! You can't sleep now! We gotta get home first!"

"Home," He coughed. "I wanna take you h-home, sweet-heart..."

"Tell me about our home, Joel," She was beyond desperate now to keep him from leaving. "What does it look like?"

'It-it's the cu-cu-cutest little thang that*gasp*you'll ever see." He said as she looked for things to build a little ting to drag him behind Callus. "A cozy lil' p-porch an' a wooden swing for us to sit on an-an' look at the sunset..."

"That's great, Joel," She said as she taped and tied some sticks and her blanket together, and then helped him onto it. "What's the inside look like?"

"El-Ellie," He mumbled again.

"Just hold on, Joel! I'm not asking much, just fucking hold on! Tell me about the inside!"

And he did. His voice was shaky and hard to hear, but she got him to tell her about the living room, the kitchen which had all the food they would ever need, and the upstairs master bedroom where they slept.

_I just have to find some fishing wire and a needle! Stitch him up and then find some antibiotics!_ _Then after a few months, I'll try and make him sing as payment for saving his life!_

Little did she know what the winter had in store for them.

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**There! This took me about 4 hours to get done, but I finally got it done! Hell, yeah! See y'all later! And goodnight! :)**


	7. Chapter7-Everything Happens For A Reason

Ellie shivered as she pet Callus in the freezing cold garage. She had figured that the house was the safest place to be, seeing that it was boarded up and it even had a basement. "Good boy," She told the marvelous animal, kissing his snout, and throwing his some hay she had found at a trading post. It was the cleanest or freshest, but at least it was something for him to eat. She made her way down the basement steps quickly and felt Joel's forehead. She made a face. _He's still burning up. I need to find him some medicine, and fast, or he might not make it..._

"E-Ellie..." Joel whispered, his breath shaking violently. He was dreaming of her again. She gave a pained smile and laid down beside him, placing her hand on his chest.

"I'm here, big guy," She whispered back. "You're gonna be ok." She knew she was saying it more to comfort herself than anything, but it made her feel better. "And we'll be able to go home soon..."

- The Next Morning -

Ellie woke up cold and stiff. It sucked sleeping in the freezing basement, even on a mattress, she could still feel the cold concrete floor beneath them. She kissed Joel's cheek as he still slept and decided it was time to scavenge up some food. She grabbed her Beretta and checked the magazine. Empty. _Shit. Guess it's time to use that bow that I 'borrowed' from those fuckers. _

Throwing the bow over her shoulder and stepping up on Callus' saddle, Ellie rode out to find something they could eat, and that they could eat that was warm. Then in the corner of her eye, she saw it. _A fucking rabbit! I mean, it's not much, but it's meat, and it's fresh meat at that! Joel would take that over canned peaches any day, and I definitely won't complain about not eating those things!_ Canned peaches were disgusting. They were stale to her, and knowing the age didn't help any either. Some of them had patches of rust on them or a dent, and once you opened it you immediately regretted it. The smell of the 'fresher' ones was also something to be less than desired. But today she had found a can of that, canned beans, and crushed pineapple. "Let's hope they're still good, Callus," She had told her horse as she packed the clean can in the saddle bags.

SWOOSSssssh-CHUNK! Bull's-eye! Ellie stood above her prey and knelt down to scoop it it. She stood up again, saying, "This isn't going to last long..." Tying it to the saddle, she heard the familiar *snap* of a branch. _Oh, shit!_ She inwardly exclaimed, eyes wide. Not fifty feet away was a beautiful, big buck. "You'll only scare it," She tied Callus to a nearby tree. _The hunt is on. _

"There you are..." She said, taking careful aim. _Just remember what Joel taught you, _she reminded herself, calming her breathing._ Steady your hands, take a deep breathe, aaaand... _

*THWAAaaaa-pssh!* "Direct hit!" Ellie exclaimed quietly, but the deer ran off. "Aw, shit." And with that, the hunt continued. She was able to hit it again, but it ran off once more. "Geez," She groaned, then let a chuckle. "The fact that he is still alive after losing that much blood... is STAGgering!" She laughed at her own joke, and then sighed. _It's not the same without my Joel to annoy. _

Following the blood, she came across what seemed to be an abandoned farm or something. "It's okay," She breathed. "Everything is fine. This place isn't creepy at all."

"Oh, wow," There he was, in all his glory. She had hit him in the neck and he just laid there, stiff. *snap*

She brought her bow up and drew back an arrow, ready to defend herself and her precious kill. "Who's there?" She called out to behind a tree where she saw someone barely showing their coat. "Come out!"

Two men stepped out, an older one with a short beard first and then a a younger clean shaved man around twenty-five followed. The older one had a rifle slung on his shoulder. "Hello," He said with a smile. "We just wanna talk."

Ellie wasn't going to back down though just because of a wimpy smile. She trained her bow on the man with the rifle. "Any sudden moves and I put one right between your eyes, ditto for buddy-boy over there!" She aimed it at the other one for extra emphasis. He in return lifted his arms away from his side by a foot. Then she brought it back to the older man. "What do you want?"

"Um, the name's David," He placed a hand on his chest. "This here is my buddy, James." James nodded. He continued in a calm tone. "We're from a larger group. Women, children; all very, very hungry."

She didn't back down. "So am I. Women and children. All very hungry too." She bluffed. She couldn't trust these two.

"Well," David shifted from one foot to the other. "Maybe could, uh, trade you for some of that meat there. What'da you need? Weapons? Ammo?Clothes-?"

"Medicen!" She blurted out. _Damn it!_ She knew she sounded too desperate, so she changed her tone as she asked, "Do you have any antibiotics?"

"We do." He answered. Back at the camp." He took a step towards her. "You're welcome to follow us ba-"

"I'm not following you anywhere!" She brought her arrow back all the way again, threatening to left the arrow fly if he came any closer. He stepped back slowly. "Buddy-boy can go get it. He comes back with what I need, the deer is all yours. Anyone else shows up-"

"You put one right between my eyes," David smiled as he pointed to that spot.

"That's right."

He looked at James. "Two bottles of penicillin and a syringe. Make it fast." The young man looked shocked, about to say something, and Ellie turned her weapon on him as David said, "Go on." He did as he was commanded and disappeared.

"I'll take that rifle," Ellie said, going to risk being turned on.

David just said, " 'Course," and laid his rifle on the ground. She told him to then back up and he complied, allowing her to scoop it up, lifting and pulling the bolt back halfway, making sure there was a round chambered. They just stood there for a minute, the wind howling quietly, blowing snow across the ground.

David finally spoke again. "He's probably gonna be a while," He motioned to a building, he continued. "You, uh, mind if we take some shelter from the cold?"

Ellie weighed her options carefully. Her fingers hurt like her from the cold, and knew that if she tried to brave the elements, she'd lose her tight grip on her weapon eventually. She couldn't allow that. She pointed the rifle at the deer and then back at David. "Bring him with us." She said simply. He did as he was commanded.

"There," He said happily, rubbing his hard over the newly created fire he had built inside the large storage room. The windows were busted out, but at least it wasn't out in the open. And her hands could at least stay semi-warm. "Y'know, you really shouldn't be out here on your own," He told her. _Great,_ Ellie thought to herself, pissed off by his remark. _He'll start that whole, 'you shouldn't be out here because you're only a little girl.' Fuck you, asshole._

"I don't like company," She said, her voice flat.

He nodded. "I see... What's your name?"

"Why?" She wanted to roll her eyes. _He's beginning to ask to many questions. I might have to shut him up soon._

"Look, I know it's not easy to trust a couple of strangers. Whoever's hurt you clearly care about them." She only looked down. His finished his sentence. "I'm sure it's gonna be just fine."

"We'll see," She said quietly. She wasn't gonna break under his soft tone, or let her guard down for that matter. Joel had taught her to be strong, making sure to trust no one until they had proved that they could earn and keep that trust. Then the all-to familiar screeching and clicking sounded not to far away from them. _Shit._ Her head was on a swivel now, looking back and forth from one window to another. But then it ran through the door, stopping completely to listen for its prey. Ellie tried to take a slow step back, but her heel bumped into the deer's hollow snout, and the clicker let out another blood curdling screech, ready to charge. It didn't get two steps to her before it was gunned down by David, revolver in his hand. It fell over and struggled to get up, but was ended in less than a second by a third shot to the head.

"You had another gun?" Ellie said in surprise, feeling a little angry at herself for not asking if he had any more weapons on him.

"Sorry," He answered simply, looking out the door as yet another screech called from the distance outside. "Hey, I'd, uh, really like my rifle back now-"

"No, you have your pistol!" A bow and a couple arrows were not going to cut it against a possible horde of infected.

He looked a little pissed. "Hope you know how to use that thing."

She looked down the sights, ready to defend herself. "I've had some practice."

Slamming the door, David warmed her to keep the infected out. _Is he kidding me? I thought we were going to let them all in and celebrate us being ripped to shreds. Ha, silly me._

After taking out a couple of infected, they moved on through, as far as Ellie could tell, an old factory. "Do you know where you're going?" She asked, trying to catch her breath.

"Never set foot in here."

"Well that's comforting."

It was just clicker after clicker as after she had become separated from David. The catwalk that she had jumped on had broke beneath her and she had to fight her way out of a small pack of clickers. _At least one was asleep,_ she chuckled to herself. Even the infected slept. But she was surprised that it hadn't woken up from all their shooting from only a minute earlier. After holing up on the other side of the factory, they fought dozens more infected, and even took out a bloater.

When all was said and done, they were happy to hear just the cold winter wind blowing. "You hear that?" David smiled, looking at her.

"No infected," Ellie sighed.

"No infected," He repeated. "What'd I tell you? Now," He patted her shoulder, making her cringe slightly. She didn't want anyone touching her besides Joel. "Now, let's head on back. Check on that buck of ours."

David like out a sigh of relief and poked at the fire with a stick. "You handled yourself pretty nicely back there. I'd say we make a pretty good team."

"Pssh," Ellie rolled her eyes. "We got lucky."

"Lucky?" He laughed. "No, nah. No such thing as luck. No you see, I believe, that everything happens for a reason."

"Tssh, sure." _Great. Another zealous nutcase?_

"I do," He pointed the stick at her. "And I can prove it to you."

Ellie watched him, listening to his spiel as he went on the winter being cruel and about how his men had gone out a few weeks back to collect supplies, but only a few returned. He continued his story.

"They said that the others had been slaughtered, by a crazy man. And get this, he- this crazy man was travelin'," He pointed the stick at her again. "With a little girl." Now Ellie looked worried. He had pieced things together from the start. "You see? Everything happens for a reason."

She grabbed her rifle and stood, ready to defend herself yet again. "Now, now," David said, lloking down at the fire. Then he looked back up at her, clearly not phased by being on the wrong of the barrel. "It's not your fault. You're just a kid. " He looked past her. "James, lower the gun."

Ellie brought her attention to the young man standing in the way of the door, pointing a compact 1911 at her. "No way, David! I'm not letting her get away! "

"Lower, the gun." And he did, none too gladly either. "Now give her the medicine," David ordered.

James threw it to her feet, saying, "The others won't be happy about this."

"Yeah, well, that's not for them to decide."

Ellie scooped the meds and moved towards the door. "Get the fuck out of the way!" She said, demanding James to do so.

"Where are you gonna go?" David asked as she jogged out the door, catching her attention once more. "I can protect you."

She shook her head. "No thanks."

And with that, she ran to find her horse and get to Joel.

- An Hour Later -

"I think we lost them," Ellie told her horse, Callus. She walked him the rest of the way to the garage, closed the garage door, and then rushed down to the basement by Joel's side. "Hey, you," She said, smiling weakly at him. "I didn't get much food, but," She held up the antibiotics. "I did get this."

Careful to get the right dose, she then slowly and carefully injected him with the medicine. "There. You're going to be okay, Joel. You're going to be just fine, okay?" She snuggled up to him on the warm-er mattress. "Okay," She whispered, falling asleep.

Tomorrow was going to be another tough day to survive. Tougher than Ellie would ever expect.


	8. Chapter 8 - Whispers In The Dark

**This chapter is named after a song by one of, if not, favorite bands, Skillet. Over this weekend I was very busy with a weddin' out of state and unfortunately for you, y'all didn't get a new chapter. But hopefully, I'll be able to post at least once a day. Thanks everyone for reading so far, and for anticipating the new chapters to come :)**

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Ellie slept fitfully that night. Her dreams were filled with thoughts and hopes for the future. Her future. With Joel. She tossed and turned in her sleep, unable to just let her mind take a break. What would life be like from now on with him? And what would it be like without him? She didn't think much on the latter. It was too painful to think of life without Joel, if not impossible to live life without him.

The morning came too quickly, but the sunlight wasn't what had her attention. Men's voices. Nearby. They were searching for her and Joel. _Damn it Ellie!_ She scolded herself while she stepped up on Callus and rode off. _You led them right to us! Now we're going to have to lead them away from Joel!_ The hunter's saw her and took the bait. Her heart was pounding. If this didn't work, she and Joel would likely die.

They gunned down her horse and chased her to a log cabin styled hotel that she had to get to in order to get back to Joel. "This is your last warning little girl to come out and give up. We have you outnumbered and out-gunned!" *BANG!* She killed one of the men hiding behind a couch. She didn't care. Odds were never in our favor anyway, She chuckled to herself. _So why the hell should I stop now?_ "Alright!" The hunter continued. "But don't say we didn't warn you!" *BANG!* He slumped over and his blood pooled around him. She was almost out the door when an arm wrapped around her neck and choked her. She tried to stab the person with her knife, but he grabbed her hand.

"Relax!" It was David. That piece of shit. "I'm keeping you alive here!" Her head felt light and her eyes were getting heavy. It was only seconds later she passed out.

Ellie woke on a hard concrete floor, head throbbing in pain. She wiped her eyes and saw what she guessed was James' back. He was chopping off... a hand?! It fell to the floor with a stomach-turning thud. She gasped and backed up. Before James made the next cut, he brought his attention to the frightened girl, shook his head, and left the room.

After composing herself, Ellie tugged and pushed at the gate of her cell. Fuck. This thing isn't going to budge without the key. Her mood was ruined even more than it already was when she saw David walk toward her. The bastard. He had a plate of hot food in his hand.

"Hello," He said. quite cheerfully, sliding the plate under the cell door. "How are you feeling?"

She put her hands on her hips and fixed her stance, trying to look strong. In truth, she was scared, she just wouldn't show it. "Super," She answered flatly.

"I got some food for you." She eyed him suspiciously. "I know you're hungry," He continued. "You've been out for quite some time."

"What is it?"

He lowered his voice to a softer tone. "It's deer."

She didn't look too sure about that. "With some human helping on the side?"

David shook his head. "No. No, I promise. It's just the deer meat."

Ellie knelt down quickly. "You're a fucking animal," She said, shoveling the warm meat into her mouth. At least it tasted like deer.

He knelt down and watched her. :That's awfully quick to judgement, considering you and your friend killed... how many of my men?"

Ellie looked up at him. "They didn't give us a choice."

"And you think we have a choice, is that it?" He rubbed his hands together slowly. "You kill to survive... and so do we. We have to take care of our own, by any means necessary."

Ellie swallowed the last bit of meat and straightened her face. "So now what? You gonna chop me up into tiny pieces?"

David chuckled. "I'd rather not. Please tell me your name."

"You're so full of shit," She said after so pushed the plate back to him in a rough manner, standing back up and placing her hands on the cold bars. He just picked it up and set it off to the side.

"On the contrary, I've been, ah, been quiet honest with you." He stood up as well. "Now I think it's your 's the only way I'm gonna be able to convince the others."

She shot him a questioning glare. "Convince them of what?"

"That you can come around, you have a heart, you're loyal..." He took a step toward her. "And you're special." With that he placed his hand on her. Ellie inwardly cringed. She wanted to scream and kick the living -if there was any in him- daylight out of him and watch the life drift from his stupid face. But she had to think of something. If she could just gain his trust, just enough to get out of this hell-hole, than she would.

"Oh..." She said, looking down at his hand on top of hers, acting deep in thought. _Well, I AM deep in thought, just not the way I am leading him to think._ She then placed her free hand on top of his. _I'm more than you bargained for, asshole!_ "I don't think I'm that special..." I'll play your game.

"Oh, but you are," He smiled. "You are a very special, very pretty, young woman." She suppressed a shiver of disgust. She needed to get those keys, but she wouldn't get them if it was at the cost of even kissing this guy. She was Joel's and Joe's alone. But maybe, just maybe, she might be able to play the shy part. Hold his hand, give off a few cute smiles and muster up a blush or two, and she could be home free in twenty-four hours. "And I can prove it. All you have to do is give me, give the whole town, a chance. I know they'll find it in their hearts forgive you, just as I have."

"Wow... thanks. I... I don't know what to say..." That much was true. Ellie had so many things she wanted to call this creep, but she needed to get out first, then if Joel was feeling up to it in a couple months, they could hunt down this bastard and kill him.

David nodded and slipped his hand out from under hers, placing the key into the lock. "I'm going to let you out for a while, and I want you to walk with me; see the sights. Sights that are less... tormenting, as the place you are currently in." Before he turn ed the key in the lock, he looked at Ellie, who made sure to keep her eyes trained on him, and not the key in his hand. Everything was at stake for this. "Can I trust you?"

She nodded. "Ellie," She said behind a fake blush. "My- my name is Ellie, by the way," She stammered for extra effect.

"Ellie," He said as he unlocked the door and opened it. "What a beautiful name."_ Yeesh! I'm not sure how long I can put up with this shit!_ _I'm either going to murder him in his sleep, or fucking throw up within the hour!_ But she blushed again, which was proving harder to do than she had previously thought. _This is going to be a long day... _

"Thanks." _Fucker._

"So..." David said, putting an arm around her. This is for Joel, Ellie reminded herself. He continued. "Who is the old man to you?"

"Oh, he's my father." A lie, but one that just might save his skin.

"Ah, ok. I understand completely why he killed everyone in your way. He was protecting his little girl."

More than you know. Then an idea came to her. Tears formed in her eyes. "He's dead!" She cried out, startling him at her embrace as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Th-the medicine! I-it didn't help him in time!" He placed another 'caring' arm around her.

"I'm sorry. That's not easy to deal with." He lifted her chin with his fist. "I promise I'll protect you from now on." _That does NOT, sit well with me._

"Ok." She composed herself with ease, but still kept a sad face in the act.

As they walked around the little town, Ellie couldn't help but worry about Joel. Was he ok? What happens if he still doesn't wake up enough to feed himself? What if the medicine doesn't work and he dies? These were the things she worried about. And David's hand was getting sweaty. Her hand was freezing, but his hot, sweaty fingers made her hands all the more colder. What David didn't know was that Ellie had seem where her knife was, and she waited for the right time to grab it and run. If she had to fight, she would. But if the opportunity presented itself, she would slip away unnoticed.

"And here's the nursery," David said as they entered the small building with cute rainbows and smiley faces on the walls. Once she saw the little kids, she felt really bad that they had to live with this monster, and having to eat basically themselves. She knew life would be hard for them regardless, but having to eat other people to survive was just going too far. But seeing some little kids again made Ellie smile.

"I haven't seen a kid in almost a year," She said, kneeling down and helping up a little girl who had tripped and was crying. The girl smiled and reach up for Ellie, wanting to be picked up. Ellie smiled, lifted her up, and set her on her hip. "Hey, how are you?" The little girl was no older than four, with beautiful brown eyes, and brown hair that went just a little past her shoulders. She giggled and wrapped her little arms around Ellie's neck.

"That's Chaya," David said, giving the two girls a few feet of space, of which Ellie was thankful. Chaya didn't seem to like David either. "She was found in her mother's apartment about a few years ago on a food mission. We got in the room just in time to save her, but the mother killed herself before we could help them. Said something about not trusting anyone after her husband had turned on her and bit her. She had killed him, but I suppose she didn't want to infect her baby, but couldn't bring herself to kill Chaya, either."

Ellie looked down at the girl. She seemed afraid of David. If he tried to take a step toward the two girls, she wound make a small noise and bury her face in Ellie's neck, making David step back again.

He leaned up against the wall. "All of the children are usually given a choice at the age of ten to eat with the rest of us, but if at all possible, we try to feed them animal meat. When we were low on that. we tried to give Chaya some of 'our' meat, but she wouldn't even look at it. So now if there's a meat shortage, we feed her fruits and vegetables." He stood up straight and looked Ellie straight in the eye. "Can I trust you to watch over her? She reminds me quite a lot of you."

"Sure," Ellie said, not looking back, but at Chaya. She was so adorable. "I'd love to watch over her."

"Alright then. It's settled. You shall be her guardian."

"Wh-what?" Now Ellie shocked. Watching over a little kid was one thing, but making her practically the mother was another story completely! But, then again, She thought, thinking of the girl in her arms. _If I'm getting out of here, I'm bringing Chaya with me! I'm not going to fucking leave her here. Not with him._ "I mean, that's awesome! I'll be more than happy to take care of her."

"Good." And with that, he left.

Only after David left did Chaya speak. "Hi," She said. Ellie had the biggest grin on her face.

"Hi," she said cheerfully in return. "I'm Ellie."

"Hi. David is a bad man."

"Oh, yeah?" Knew that.

She nodded. "Yeah. He kills people and eats them. It's gross."

"Yes, it is. Don't worry. I'll make sure you get something good to eat." Ellie looked around, hoping no one else was here besides them. "Are you hungry?" she asked. Chaya nodded again. "Alright, we'll find you something to eat, then. What would you like?"

"I'd like some fruit, please?"

"Well," Ellie said, reaching in her pocket. "I just happen to have an apple with me."

Chaya's face lit up once the apple was placed in her little hands. "Yay!" She said excitedly. "It's red, too!"

"Oh, you like red apples, huh?"

"Mmm-hm!" She said, biting into the juicy fruit. Ellie walked around the building, wondering how old it was. The lights still worked, the windows were replaced, and the heating even worked. It wasn't that bad of a place...

"David lies a lot," Chaya said after finishing her apple, her voice becoming thick.

""Yeah? About what?" Ellie felt like this girl needed her. And if she was being honest with herself, Ellie felt like she needed Chaya as well. The little girl continued as she hugged the redhead, crying.

"He killed my mommy! Daddy bit her, but that man shot mommy!"

Ellie felt like shit now, and was filled with rage. Sure, David shot an infected person, but he lied to her again! Not that it surprised her much. She just didn't like that he had lied to her with the daughter of his victim who was right there in the same room! _He has no shame, that ugly fuck! _

"Please!" Chaya cried. "Will you keep me safe?"

"I promise, I will," Ellie said, holding her tight. "I'm going to take care of you from now on."

"That's good," she sniffed.

"How old are you?"

"I'm six."

"Cool. I'm fourteen. I'll be fifteen in a few months."

Chaya's eyes went wide and she looked at her fingers, counting them. "That's, like, a hundred years older then me!"

Laughing, Ellie said, "Not quite that old."

"I know. You're..." She re-counted her fingers. "Eight years older?"

"Yep. You're very smart."

"The others don't think so. I don't talk to the others much. They think I'm stupid for not answering them all the time."

"I got news for them; they're wrong. You are very smart, and very pretty." She brushed the hair out of the girl's face. She saw the smile that made her smile right back.

"Are you gonna be my new mommy?"

Ellie nearly choked on her own spit. She had not been expecting that. _What do I tell her?_ She thought to herself. _I am in charge of taking care of her from now on, but she's asking me to pretty much adopt her! I want to keep her, but what about Joel? Would he take her too?_ She smiled. _Even if he doesn't want to take her along, he doesn't have a choice in this matter._

"Only if you want me to be," She answered, smiling.

Chaya nodded and smiled back.

Evening came quickly and Ellie wasn't sure what she would do. Chaya was curled up tightly by her side, asleep. She really didn't want to sleep here. And to tell the truth, she didn't think she could even if she could. Protecting Chaya and herself came before sleep. She couldn't let her guard down. Not now. If David tried to come to the room she locked them in, she had a pair of scissors by her side. But no one bothered them, and the sun finally came up. _Just a little longer..._ She told herself, holding the young girl by her side tighter. _We'll be able to get out of here soon. _

Little did she know what the day had in store for them, or that Joel had just woken up just half an hour ago.


	9. Chapter 9 - Rescued

"Oh, thank the heavens," David said, meeting Ellie's stone cold face for the first time that day. "I was afraid you'd try to leave during the night. I'm glad you changed your mind about staying."

Ellie kept at arms length, Chaya back in the security of her arms. The little one was small for a six-year old, no taller than Ellie's waist. "Well," She said, shrugging. "I decided to stay and see what this place has to offer as a new home. But I will NOT be eating... that stuff that you do." _And I won't be staying with you much longer, you creepy fuck. _

"Understood. If you join in on the hunting in about a week, I'm sure you'll find some 'good' meat for you and your little girl."

Chaya hid behind Ellie's leg, holding on tightly. Ellie felt bad for her. She had been through so much at such a young age, and the scar of pain would just keep reopening itself until they got way from this place. Away from David. He looked down and smiled at the girl. Ellie cleared her throat, bringing his attention back to her. Lifting her chin in confidence, she said, "I would like that. I know that the deer won't last long, and I'd be happy to help in any place I could."

He gave her a smile that made her skin crawl. "Good." Then David's radio cracked, another man's voice coming through the static. "This is David," He said, turning around and walking away from the girls. "What do you mean he's alive? Who is?" The silence as he listened made Ellie worry. She knew exactly what they were talking about. "Slow down!" He yelled into the device. "He can't be! She told me that he didn't make it!"

Kneeling down by Chaya, Ellie told her to hold on and lifted her up, ready to bolt. She nodded and held on tight.

"Well," David said, pocketing his radio, not turning around. "It seems that you've been keeping things from me, Ellie. How long did you think you could keep him safe? For you to-!" He turned around, revolver in hand, but he was only met with an open door, the icy wind blowing in. "Escape," He chuckled. "Run rabbit, run. I'll find you."

"Just hold on tight and keep your hat on, ok?" Ellie said, running down the street, the blizzard threatening to rip her coat off her body it was so cold. "We're getting out of here!"

"O-ok," Chaya shivered. Even with a coat, layered pants and a winter cap she was freezing. "But what about th-the crazy man?"

"He's not a crazy man," Ellie panted, turning to the butcher shop. "He's my-" _Lover._ "-Partner. He's coming to rescue us, ok? He's a good guy!"

She grabbed her knife, and continued down the street, hoping to find the way out. "That's the way to the way out, Ellie," The little girl said, pointing to a building that had an open window above a dumpster.

"I hope so." And they crawled into the building, finding it to be yet another restaurant, and thankfully, it was pretty warm. Then she saw David walk past the window towards the door. _Shit._ "Chaya," Ellie said in a worried but commanding tone. "I need you to hide in this cabinet." She opened it and helped the young girl in.

"But why?" Chaya asked, her voice full of confusion.

"The bad man is here, and he's coming to get us." She took her by the shoulders. "I'm going to fight him, but you don't come out of this hiding spot no matter what, alright?"

"Ok, Ellie, but what if-"

"No matter what! If he says he's going to hurt me if you don't come out, don't listen to him, ok?"

"I promise."

And with that, Ellie kissed her forehead, closed the cabinet door, and hurried to the front door. Once she poked her head out into the freezing cold, David grabbed her hands. "There we are!" He yelled at her, pushing her against a booth. Ellie knew she didn't stand a chance at this rate, so she did the only thing she could: She bit him. He groaned in pain, letting go of her wrists to hold on to his neck.

Get behind cover, She told herself, kneeling down behind another booth ten feet away. And take him down!

"That's ok," David said, locking the door behind him. "If you want out, your gonna have to get these keys!" He stalked around the room, but his steps were too heavy. _He must think I'm really stupid, or he's over-confident._ *click* And she jumped on his back once he turned away from her, which cost him a good stab in the shoulder area. Ellie retracted and he fired three rounds as she run away again to hide. "You're good, kid. That was really good." She heard the metallic sound of a knife leaving its sheath. "But fun times over." He seemed to be more careful with his steps, and made sure to look around corners carefully enough, but he still was loud enough and still pretty careless. And he wouldn't shut up! "Hey, Ellie?" He called out to her. "I'm sorry about your horse." _Oh, no, he didn't. That's low as hell._ "I hope you take comfort in that we won't waste any part of him."

"You sick motherfucker!" She whispered to herself. She was getting mad now. Attacking her was one thing, but now bringing up her horse? Oh, he'd pay for that. She threw a bottle in the opposite direction.

"Oops," David said, thinking that the noise was where she was. *click* "Augh!" He slung the machete quickly behind him, after she had stabbed him in the side, but Ellie was already long gone. "That's it," He said, crouching down. "No more games."

It was quiet. Too quiet. He didn't make a noise for some time. Ellie's nerves were starting to get to her. She thought she saw something in the corner of her eye, but it was just a cloth slinging from the light winter breeze coming through the kitchen window. Then he spoke again.

"Ellie," He said, clearly pissed off. "If you come out now, I promise not to harm little Chaya. We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her now, would we?" He was right around the corner, his back facing her. If he stayed that way, she could just...

It all happened so fast. The click of a button, the sound of her blade entering David's flesh, the short struggle; And then blackness. When she finally woke up, Ellie struggled to get back up and to the machete that lay under a nearby booth. Her head felt worse then ever, and her body ached. _I have to get to it,_ She told herself, getting on hands and knees, begging her limbs to move. _For Chaya._ A swift kick to the ribs put her down, a cry of pain escaping her lips.

"I've got to hand it to you," David groaned, standing over her. "You've got heart. It's ok to give up. Ain't no shame in it." This just drove Ellie more. She forced herself back up. Her life depended on it. He chuckled. "Guess it's just not your style." Another painful blow from his boot to her ribs made her eyes sting, and she wanted to throw up. _Ow, fuck. I think my rib is broken... _

"You can try beggin'," He said, kneeling over her, and grabbing a fist full og her hair, pulling back harshly.

"Fuck you," She spat, panting.

David turned Ellie over, with rage in his eyes, he threatening her as he positioned her between his legs, and his hands held her neck roughly, squeezing the life out. "You think you know me? Let me tell you something," _No! Oh fuck, no, no, no, no!_ "You have no idea what I'm capable of!"

_Just a little further, Ellie! It's right there! C'mon! Reach!_ But she couldn't reach any more, and David's body, which was fading in and out of the blackness, was crushing her with a weight that made her lungs burn like hell!

"Oh, Ellie," He leant down to meet her eyes with his. "I really wish it hadn't come to thi-" *BANG!* And David's brain matter covered a nearby wall, and he was kicked off before he could lay lifelessly on top of her.

Ellie sat up and scooted back in shock, staring up at her rescuer. "Joel!" She cried in surprise, jumping up and clinging to him, tears steaming down her eyes. "he-he tried to-"

Joel Held her tightly to his chest. "I know, sweetheart," He said, his voice soft and full of emotion. "I know."

"Oh, Joel!" She sobbed. "I tried my best, but he was t-to str-ong, an-and-"

"I know, Ellie. I'm here now. I won't let anyone hurt you. He's gone now."

She nodded and Joel tried to guide her to the entrance, but she pulled away. "No!" She cried, trying to compose herself. "There's someone else we're taking wi-with us!"

"Ellie," Joel said, trying to let her off easy. She was in such a fragile state. "We can't just go back for-"

"No! I-I promised her!" She hurried to the kitchen and knelt down by the cabinet, opening its door. There she found Chaya, who dropped a hammer as soon as she saw Ellie and made it into her embrace within seconds.

"Ellie!" The little girl said happily. "You're okay!"

Joel was confused. This was the person that Ellie had promised to bring with them on their way to the Fireflies? "Alright," He said, making his way to the pair and helping them up, taking Chaya into his arms. She squirmed a little in his arms, but got comfortable enough for him to be able to bring out his 9mm. "We've gotta move. We'll talk more about this once we're safe."

Leaving the town felt so good. But Ellie felt scarred. She knew that it would be nearly impossible to sleep tonight, if at all after going through that nightmare. But when she looked at the old man and the little girl, who looked back at her and smiled, she felt as is she could take on the world. If they stayed by her side for the rest of her dirty, broken life, she could make it through this. She was happy that they had been rescued. Happy to be in the safety of the safety of Joel's arms that night. And happy to have Chaya sleeping peacefully by her side.


	10. Chapter 10 - The Unexpected

**Hey, here it is! The new chapter! Hope you enjoy! Also, Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! **

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Ellie lay on her back, staring at the ceiling, trying her best not to break down. She had to be strong. If Joel saw her crying, he'd see her as a week little girl and not the young woman that she so desperately wanted to be in his eyes. But it all overwhelming, scenes from the other day swirled around in her head, popping up randomly with no real order other then to make her night worse. It had all happened the day before. The previous night she had slept surprisingly well, but she figured it was because she had had less than 4 hours of sleep in the past three days.

She couldn't hold it anymore, so she carefully tried to get Joel's arm from around her waist and sat up slowly.

"Ellie?" Joel said from behind her. _Shit._ "Where you goin'?"

"I-" She quickly looked away. "I'm just going to get a drink."

Joel let out a sigh. "Ellie, I'm here for you, sweetheart. If you need to let out whatever you've got bottled up inside, let it out. It ain't gonna do you no good if you're goin' this alone."

He sat beside her now. She held tight to him and buried her face in his remotely clean plaid shirt, crying rivers of tears and sounds of pain escaped her lips. It hurt so much. Why did life seem so set on hurting her? First her mom, then Riley, and then Tess... and now this. When was it going to take Joel away from her too? Or Chaya? She held on to Joel tightly, not even loosening her grip for a second. If this world wanted him, it'd have to pry him from her cold, dead, torn up fingers. There was no way she was going to give up.

"It's alright, sweetheart," He said softly into her hair, his thumbs making small circles on her back. "It's gonna be okay."

After an hour Ellie composed herself, but still had not let go of Joel. Her grip had at least loosened, allowing Joel to be able to feel his feet again, but she still held him like the world depended on it. And to her, it did.

"I love you sooo much, Joel," She whispered, looking up at him through the strands of her own red hair. "I... I can't live without you. Please- Please don't ever leave me-"

"Ellie," He said, taking his face in his hands. "I promise you on my life I will never leave you. I will protect your life with my very own. Do you understand me? I'm not goin' anywhere."

Ellie gave only the slightest of nods, whispering, "Okay."

"Do you wanna try an' go back to sleep now?"

She nodded and lay back down, Joel facing her, arms wrapped around her small frame. It felt as if it was the safest place in the world. Scratch that, the universe even. And it probably was. His scent filled her nostrils and his slowing breathes filled her ears, making her smile. It was a perfect night all of a sudden, and she was starting to feel funny again, the butterflies kicking up like a storm. A pair of warm lips met her forehead and she giggled at the small declaration of love.

Joel was such a gentleman sometimes, and he could be a real ass at other times, but he was hers, and she wouldn't change him for the world she always dreamed of. Even when he was in his worse state, the one that would scare even her, she would't change him. It made him who he was. He was her fearless protector, and that was what she wanted. And she wanted all of him. She wondered when she would be able to lower all his defenses. But Just being right here, right now; it felt good. It felt like a home in his arms.

"Joel?" She whispered.

He groaned. "Yeah, sweetheart?" She loved hearing that.

She looked up at him, pulling back so they could she each other's faces in the dim moonlight cutting through the dirty windows. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Try an' get some sleep, okay?" She nodded and closed her eyes, drifting off into a peaceful slumber.

He took a deep breathe and held her as close as he could without crushing her. If he never left this room with her, he'd be the happiest man alive. But the conflict raged in his head. He questioned his morality every day, but no argument could combat the way the world was now. There was far worse shit out there than an old man and a mid teenage girl being romantically involved. Besides, he wasn't THAT old yet. He still had a lot of life in him. Maybe in thirty years he'd consider retirement, but for now, he belonged to the beautiful little redhead who shared his bed.

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_Fuck, it's cold!_ Ellie thought to herself as she sat up still drowsy. _Guess it's still fucking winter. It never get's any easier, does it? _

"Ellie!" She heard a young girls voice from the doorway and saw who it was. The small girl ran to Ellie's side and jumped under the covers with her.

Ellie wrapped her arm around the girl and gave her a hug. "Good morning, Chaya."

"Joel made us breakfast!"

"Oh yeah? What did he make?"

Chaya smiled and pointed towards the door. "He said it was a surprise. He said that you have to go and see."

"Alright," Ellie said, throwing off the covers and inwardly cursing the cold air, but kept a smile on her face. "Lemme get dressed then and I'll join you guys, k?"

"O-kay!" And she bounded out of the room, closing the door loudly behind her. Ellie couldn't help but laugh at the little one. She was glad she had brought her. She looked around the room for her backpack and searched throughout it, but found a note inside. Her smile got wider as she read it.

**_ Ellie,_**

_** Look in the dresser drawer. Found some clothes that you just might like. They should fit. **_

_** Love you, sweetheart,**_

_** Joel**_

_Well, that's sweet._ She thought as she made her way to the dresser on the other side of the room and placed her hands on the nobs._ He got me some new clothes. I wonder if he got me a new book-_ *HISSSSSSS!*

"FUCKING SHIT!" She screamed as she fell on her ass. The crafty son of a bitch seemed to leave out the fact that he had also decided to get her a snake as well. "MOTHER FUCKER!" She yelled loud enough for a neighborhood to hear.

It was harmless, but she still didn't expect it. Getting up off the floor, she found a small python in the top drawer, coiled up and looking just as shocked as she. _That piece of..._ Picking it up, she looked at it and actually had to admit that it was pretty cute. "Poor thing," Ellie said to it bringing it's face inches from hers. "Was this Joel's doing?" It stared back, it's tongue making contact with her nose. "I think I'll call you Harold." Placing him on the end of the bed, she grabbed a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt.

A few minutes later Joel walked in as she was just sliding the jeans up her legs, her back turned to him. She flipped him off, not giving him the satisfaction of him seeing her turn around. _Fucker._ She clipped on her bra and slid the t over her head, pulling it down past her waist. She then turned to face him, clearly her pride hurt more than her behind. "Thanks for the clothes... dick."

Joel gave a laugh from deep inside and put his large arms around her. "Chaya thought it was a warm place to put him, an' I agreed."

"Should've figured you guys would plot against me," she pouted, but she hugged him back. "I fucking love you, you know that?"

"Don't hurt none hearin' it." He kissed her. "Love you too."

Joel led her to the kitchen, where Chaya sat at the table, drawing pictures on some old paper, looking up and smiling at the couple standing side by side.

Ellie sat next to her and Joel got her a plate of food. "Rabbit, pancakes an' canned pears, darlin'?" He said, winking at her.

"Thanks, darlin'," Ellie mimicked his thick Texas accent. It kinda sucked, but it made him chuckle.

"Look!" Chaya said, hold up her art. "Joel got me some paper and crayons!"

"Awesome!" Ellie bumped shoulders playfully with her. "That's really pretty! Who's in that picture?"

"That's Joel, you, and me!"

_ Looks like the family you've always wanted, Ellie. Just need a house to call a home... _

The little girl looked serious for a moment. "Are you and Joel married?"

Ellie nearly coughed up her breakfast. She'd never been referred to as Joel's wife, and the thought made her face warm up. "N-no," She stuttered.

Chaya frowned, the gears turning. "Oh. Do you two like each other? Like a mom and dad like each other?"

Ellie's gaze met Joel's, who looked back at her, a glass cup in one hand and a towel in the other. He seemed just as at loss as her. "Yes?"

"That's good. 'Cause last night I saw you guys kissing and stuff."

"What that picture?" Ellie asked, hoping to change the subject. _Is it getting hot in here?_

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** Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. It was fun writing it :D I'm hoping to make this a very long storyline, at least 50 chapters, but we'll see how it goes. Also, get ready, it might get a little steamy in upcoming chapters, and I believe a Christmas special is in order. Before things get too strong between our two awesome badass main characters, please let me know it I should continue the slower pace in their relationship, make it complicate, or speed it up. I know I haven't posted much up until now, but I'm hoping to get back in the sway of things. Thanks for the reviews, follows and favs, it means a LOT to me! (^_^) **

**( By the way, I edited this scene because there was something that just didn't quite seem to fit, so if any of you who saw this before the update are wondering what happened, you now know. If you were here to read that scene, you know where I made the changes and honestly I had someone point it out and I agreed that it should be changed. I had just got back and wanted to speed things, along, not thinking things through due to how late it was. Thanks for pointing out a critical plot hole, it was much appreciated! :D )**


	11. Chapter 11 - Painful But Nececsary

**Hoo-ray! Next chapter for you lovely people :D Thanks again for everything, it's awesome just seeing a bunch of writers and readers taking interest in my work! Never thought it'd be that good, I just do it for fun. Sorry if the last chapter seemed kinda random, just trying yo get back in the mood of things. Thank you, Doomstra27 for being a loyal reviewer, I'm glad to be back ^-^ Remember to cast votes for what should happen between Joel and Ellie next; Stay on the slow pace, make it hotter, or complicate things. I want to involve you people in the story! ENJOY!**

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Ellie rolled her eyes. How could someone so strong and seemingly so immune to pain be whining about a little pinch? "C'mon, Joel," Ellie laughed, flicking at the syringe, making the tiny bubbles rise to the top. "It's just a tiny little needle."

"I'm fine, Ellie," He groaned in discomfort as she turned him on his side, lifting up the side of his shirt. "I don't need anymore damn medicine!"

"Nonsense!" She laughed again, sticking him in the side with the needle. "You've only been awake for a few days now, and one syringe of antibiotics is not going to keep you healthy for long. Now stop crying and let me changed your dressing."

Ellie unraveled the clothe from around his lower abdomen and cringed at the sight._ It's still pretty red,_ She thought to herself. _I hope it's not infected. If it is, we'll have to use all of the meds we've got._ She re-wrapped his filed dressing and laid him on his back. "How's it feel?" She asked, pressing lightly around the wound.

"Ugh!" He grabbed her wrist and pushed it away.

"Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

He nodded and let his head fall on the pillow behind it, wincing in pain. "S'alright. Jus' be more careful, alright? It feels like someone drove a knife through me."

She gave him a weak smile. "Wouldn't be a far stretch from the truth, Joel. I won't do that again, 'kay?" Ellie leaned over him, her breathe on his lips, her ponytail off to one side of her face, placing a hand on the side of his pale face. "I'm going out to find more supplies, okay?"

With that Joel made to get up, propping himself on his elbow, grunting as he did so. "I'll go with you," He started, but Ellie put her hand on his chest and gently pushed him back down.

"Oh, no you don't!" She said matter-of-factly. "You're fucking staying here and you're going to finish the soup I prepared for you, understand? I can handle myself."

He tried to get up again, but Ellie kept just enough pressure on his chest to keep him on his back. "But what if you get in trouble again?" He asked, genuinely worried for her sake. She pursed her lips.

"They won't live to get me in any trouble." And with that she kissed him, said her goodbye, and walked to the front door. "Chaya," She said, as if she was a general giving a command to a private. "You Keep the doors locked, don't go outside, and stay away from the windows, okay?"

Chaya nodded, holding a small doll to her chest. "Okay, Ellie."

"And I'm leaving you in charge, so I need you to be a big girl and watch over Joel." She threw her backpack over her shoulder and slung her rifle over her shoulder, pistol already tucked away securely in the back of her jeans. "And make sure he doesn't get up too often. He needs his rest."

"Yes, ma'am." The young girl smiled.

Ellie opened the door and headed out, a blast of icy wind stung her face like a thousand bees. "Fuck," She whispered, pulling her hat over her ears. _Fuck, it's freezing out here! At least this might mean that no one else will be out looking for food or supplies. No guarantee though... _

The winter wind was relentless. The snow was almost impossible to see through, but what other choice did she have? They needed more food and medicine, but it was risky going out in this. Ellie walked up a set of porch steps and pulled out her little Beretta. She touched the door nob and heard footsteps from inside the house, probably from the room over from where she could see through the cracked window. She decided to knock first.

Opening the door, she said, "Anybody home? If you're not infected, I'd advise you show yourself! I'm armed and dangerous!" The quote made her giggle quietly. It was something Winston would always say when he took her throughout the mall, while he searched each room. He said that it was from a lot of action movies from his day and even before that.

"I still say you're lucky," She mumbled to herself, thinking of the old soldier. "You got to die of natural causes. While everyone else is getting infected or shot in the head, you get to have your heart fail on you. I hope it was painless. God knows you deserved to go out that way."

She made her way trough the house and heard the thumping above her. _Clickers?_ She wondered. There wasn't any screeches or moans of pain, which was the sound of runners, or weepers, as she liked to refer to them. The name seemed to fit them better then runner, because when they weren't trying to feast off your dying body, they sounded like they were crying like they were in great amounts of pain. Joel had explained to her that the reason they made their cries of pain was because they was because Cordyceps fungi would attack the brain at tremendous speed and grow almost as soon as the the victim was bitten, putting pressure in their eyes and skull. It was an awful way to go. A terrifying way to go. Ellie had watched it happen to Riley. Just before she turned, she started getting unbearable headaches and blood started coming out her eye ducts. She missed her friend, but that was the past now, and she wouldn't change it for what she had now.

Ellie crouched and made her way slowly up the stairs, careful on the parts that creaked in the old house. Searching the first room, she heard the thumping go back down the stairs. _Stalkers?_ It sounded small. Maybe an infected child? That did not sit well in her stomach. Having to shoot a little clicker was not how she wanted to start her day, but if it happened, what else could she do?

She made her way back down and heard scratching at the front door. Peeking around the corner, Ellie couldn't believe her eyes! Looking back at her was a little German Shepherd puppy! It couldn't have been older then a couple months. She put her sidearm away and made her way slowly to the cute little fuzz ball, her arms raised to her waist, saying, "Hey, buddy, I'm not gonna hurt you."

He was heavy as she brought him up in her arms, but he was so adorable! He was in perfect health as far as she could tell, and he didn't seem to be aggressive. "Where's your parents?" Ellie wondered. She set the animal back on it's feet and headed back up the stairs, the puppy right on her heels. Looking in the last room, she found the mother, laying on her side, blood pooling around it. "Oh, fuck..."

The old dog whined as Ellie dropped to her knees and looked over her. A bullet hole was at it's right shoulder, rendering the leg useless. It was definitely infected, the area around the wound turning white with puss. It wouldn't be long before it would die.

Ellie took the puppy to another room and closed it the door. Flicking the safety off of pistol, she took aim, closed her eyes, and pulled the trigger. She let out a breathe she hadn't know she was holding and walked quickly out of the room, locking the door behind her. Grabbing whatever supplies she could find, she then picked up the puppy, wrapped it in a blanket and headed to the safehouse. Both Joel and Chaya would be very surprised with her new friend.

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** So Ellie's finding more things to surprise Joel with, but how will he take this? Will he let her keep it? And if so, what will she name it? Help her come up with one! Give me ideas, you might just get your name chosen ;) Hope it was as enjoyed as I enjoyed writing it for you :D Thanks, and I will see you in the next chapter!**


	12. Chapter 12 - Disagreements

**Hey, guys! What is going on? It's JusyAnotherWriterLikeYou and I have yet another chapter for all you who have stuck around this long! I wanna take this short time to thank you all for the views, reviews, favs, criticism and encouragement! You're support means a lot! So gives yourselves a clap and a pat on the back for being absolutely awesome! **

** Anyway, this is my newest chapter, ****Disagreements**

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"No!" Joel said, looking at the puppy in Ellie's arms as she stood next to his bed. "We are not keepin' it, an' that's final!"

"Please, Joel?" The redhead said, holding up the miniature German Shepherd up, trying her best to look as cute as possible. "Please, please, pleeeeeeaase?"

"Ellie, we can barely keep ourselves alive out here! We can't feed it!"

She made a face. "What if we feed it the leftover things we can't eat from animals? Like the guts and fat and bones?"

"And what happens when we are in a basement full of infected?" He deadpanned. Ellie knew he had a point, but she didn't want to admit it. Shit. He does have a point, Ellie.

"Can we at least keep him until we have to leave?" She asked, crossing her fingers.

Joel threw a hand in the air, all the while rolling his eyes. "Fine."

Ellie set the puppy down and leaned over Joel, hugging the life out of him. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, Joel!" She squealed.

"AH!" He let out a groan of pain. "Alright! Jesus, girl! It ain't that big a deal!"

"Sorry," She giggled, letting up a little in her vise-like grip.

Joel sat up as best he could. "Now help me up, Ellie. I wanna sit on the couch upstairs."

Ellie nodded. It was good to see that Joel was feeling better, even if he was being an old grump. The man could be so stubborn sometimes, but then again, so could she. Soon she had helped him on the couch, and laid down beside him, with her between the backrest and Joel. She rested her head on his chest as he reached an arm around her, holding her close to his large frame. He still had that smell; the one she picked up all the way back in the Boston QZ. It was a manly smell. Strong and distinguishable. The smell of sweat, grease, gun powder, and a hint of fire and whiskey. She breathed deeply. Most girls would probably tell him to take a shower, if it was back before the world went to shit, but Ellie liked him this way. His smell could tell her what his life was. It was kinda cool.

She took one more deep breathe through the nose and sighed, making Joel chuckle. "Enjoyin' yourself, young lady?" He said, resting his chin on her head.

"Mm-hmm," She mumbled, closing her eyes. "You smell nice."

He grunted. "Like hell I do."

"You do," She insisted.

"Alright, how do I smell 'good'? I smell like I was thrown in the back of a garbage truck."

"No, you smell like..." She sniffed his shirt. "Like hard work, and weapons... and nail bombs... and molotovs."

He looked up at the ceiling, squinting his eyes. "An' how the hell does that make me smell good?"

She nuzzled into his chest. "Because it smells like protection."

He laughed softly, placing his free hand on her side. "If you put it that way."

A few minutes later, Joel was just starting to doze off when he heard Ellie start to shake and he heard her muffled cries. He felt terrible. If only he had gotten to her sooner. Maybe he could have saved her the trouble of dealing with the shit she's going through now. But the past is the past, and no one can change that. He new that better than anyone else. But there was nothing he could do to help her forget that nightmare. It would take time. The only thing he could do is hold her close, kiss her head, and tell her that it would be alright. And it would get better. It'd just take some time. But it still didn't help at this moment.

"I got you, sweetheart," He soothed, his voice but a whisper. "Ain't no one gonna hurt you. I got you."

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Ellie's eyes stung as she woke up. They felt dry and irritated. _Guess I cried more than I thought. Wonder how long I was asleep..._ She looked up at Joel, who was still sleeping soundly, holding her in the security his arms. _You need to get your shit together, Ellie, or else you're gonna fucking lose it! Mourning is one thing, but you need to keep a level head._

Her eyes went wide as she heard glass break in the kitchen. Joel had heard it too, as he was reaching for his 1911 compact. "You heard it too?" She asked, her voice barely audible. He nodded in return. "I'll check it out." She told him.

Before Joel could stop her, she crouched and made her way stealthily to the kitchen. Once she got there, she found that there was nothing to worry about. Chaya was just busy at work, cleaning some dishes for them to eat off of. _That smells so fucking good!_ Ellie thought, sniffing the air.

"What'cha makin'?" Ellie said, about to peek in the oven.

"Don't open it!" Chaya said, smacking Ellie's hand away. "I heard a turkey out back and told Joel about it, so he took me outside and taught me how to use a bow."

Ellie frowned. "What's a peek going to hurt?"

"I don't know how much gas is left in the stove, so I want to save as much as we can!"

"How old are you again?"

"Six."

Ellie's eyes went wide for the second time in one day. "And you know how to cook?"

Chaya looked at Ellie as is she was stupid. "Doesn't everybody? My mommy taught me how before she died. She said it's very importent."

"I can't cook well," Ellie looked at an old cookbook she had found at the library in the hunter's QZ. "I always end up fu- uh, screwing it up somehow."

Chaya started opening a can with a knife after she dipped the blade in boiling water. "It's not that hard." When she saw Ellie looking at the knife funny, Chaya simply said, "It kills germs if you put a knife in boiling hot water."

"Ah..." I really need to get in the kitchen more often. Ellie thought, helping the young girl by washing out some pans.

The next day would hold quite a bit in store for the three survivors. It wouldn't be long before trouble would follow...

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** There! Done with another chapter! So things are keeping a slow pace in terms of action, but how long can it really stay that way? What about the surviving members of David's clan? Would they seek revenge? Or will they let them go, as the hopes of David's leadership coming to an end had come to pass? What about the infected? Guess we'll see! Thanks! Later!**


End file.
